During his occupation of Germany, Napoleon mandated middle-sized states to absorb smaller territories, thereby abolishing many old regimes and initiating the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in 1806.

In 1930, Great Smoky Mountains National Park became one of the largest protected areas of the eastern United States and America’s most visited national park, now attracting more than 9 million visitors annually.

As the year 2004 marks Tasmania’s 200th anniversary of it’s settlements by Europeans, this uniquely beautiful island – usually referred to by Australians as ‘Tassie’ – is being rediscovered. Tasmania is Australia’s second oldest and also its smallest state with a population of 473,000.

Video

Photographer Gerd Ludwig is a lighting master with TTL strobe lights. He uses them in unusual and unpredictable ways to direct the the viewer’s eye through his photographs, convey a sense of place, and define his visual style.